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Episode · The Climate Question

What's it like being a chief heat officer?

29 Mar 2026 · 26 min

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Episode notes

As climate change makes the world hotter, some cities have appointed so-called Chief Heat Officers to try to improve their response to record-breaking temperatures. In 2024, Graihagh Jackson spoke to two women who have done the job in Freetown, Sierra Leone, and Monterrey, Mexico. What does their role involve? What solutions are out there? And do they get enough funding? Plus, Umaru Fofana reports from Freetown on what happens when extreme heat grips the city. Umaru talks to locals forced to sleep outside because of the temperature, despite risks to their health and safety. And he also…

Podcast

The Climate Question

BBC World Service · Tech & Science · English

Why we find it so hard to save our own planet, and how we might change that.

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